Description

This is the Hansard transcript of the reply by the Leader of the Opposition, Brendan Nelson, to the historic apology proffered by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on behalf of the government and parliament of Australia to all Indigenous peoples who were mistreated as a consequence of official government policy. The declaration of an apology to members of the stolen generations is intended to usher in a new era of recognition and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia. While Dr Nelson supports the apology, he refers to Opposition unease about the use of the word ‘stolen’, saying many white Australians involved in the removal of Aboriginal children had good intentions.